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and I was stripped of the bright and divine robe, and having come into darkness I now lie in darkness, and I am ignorant that I have been deprived of light, and: “Behold,” I say, “the sun illumines the day, and I see it; when night comes it sets again, and I light candles and a lamp for myself and I see. And what more than me does any other person have? For so indeed do all people see in the world, and no one among mortals sees anything more than this.” Therefore saying these things I lie and mock myself and I, Savior, deceive myself, boasting according to myself, not wishing to know myself, that I am blind, not wishing to labor, not wishing to look up, I, the condemned, not wishing to know my blindness. And I say: “Who has seen God, the light of the world?” And saying this, Master, I am altogether insensible, not understanding that I think and speak wrongly. For he who does not see your light, and says he sees at all, or rather even says that this is impossible, to behold your, Master, light of the divine glory, denies all the scriptures of prophets, apostles, and your words, Jesus, and the economy. For if from on high you shone, you appeared in darkness and you came, O merciful one, into the world among men, (341) wishing in your love for mankind to live as we do and you truly said that you are the light of the world, and we do not see you, are we not completely blind, and more wretched than the blind, my Christ? Yes, truly, yes, in truth we are both dead and blind, not seeing you, the life-creating light. The blind do not see the sensible sun, but they also live, Master, and move about somehow; for it does not bestow life, but only sight. But you, being all good things, always give these to your servants who see your light, as you are life and you provide life with all the other good things, I say, which you yourself are. He who truly has you has all things in you. May I not be deprived of you, Master, may I not be deprived of you, Creator, may I not be deprived of you, O merciful one, I the humble and a stranger; for a stranger, as you were well-pleased, and a sojourner here I have become not by choice, not by my will a stranger,

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καί ἐξεδύθην τήν στολήν τήν φωτεινήν καί θείαν, καί ἐν τῷ σκότει γεγονώς νῦν ἐν τῷ σκότει κεῖμαι, καί ἀγνοῶ ὅτι φωτός εἰμί ἐστερημένος, καί˙ Ἴδε, λέγω, ἥλιος τήν ἡμέραν φωτίζει, καί βλέπω τοῦτον˙ τῆς νυκτός ἐλθούσης πάλιν δύνει, κἀγώ ἀνάπτω μοι κηρούς καί λαμπάδα καί βλέπω. Καί τί τῶν πάντων ἔχει μου ἀνθρώπων πλέον ἄλλος; Οὔτως γάρ πάντως βλέπουσιν ἄνθρωποι ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ καί τούτου πλέον οὐδαμῶς καθορᾷ τις ἀνθρώπων. Ταῦτα οὖν λέγων ψεύδομαι καί ἐμαυτόν ἐμπαίζω καί ἐμαυτόν, Σῶτερ, πλανῶ κατ᾿ ἐμαυτόν κομπάζων, μή θέλων γνῶναι ἐμαυτόν, ὅτι τυφλός τυγχάνω, μή θέλων κοπιάσαι τε, μή θέλων ἀναβλέψαι, μή θέλων ὁ κατάκριτος τήν τύφλωσίν μου γνῶναι. Λέγω δέ˙ Τίς ἑώρακε Θεόν, τό φῶς τοῦ κόσμου; Καί τοῦτο λέγων, ∆έσποτα, ἀναισθητῶ εἰς ἅπαν μή συνιείς ὅτι κακῶς λογίζομαι καί λέγω. Ὁ γάρ τό φῶς σου μή ὁρῶν, καί βλέπειν ὅλως λέγων, μᾶλλον δέ καί ἀδύνατον λέγων ὑπάρχειν τοῦτο, τό κατιδεῖν σου, ∆έσποτα, τό φῶς τῆς θείας δόξης, πάσας ἀρνεῖται τάς γραφάς προφητῶν, ἀποστόλων, τούς σούς τε λόγους, Ἰησοῦ, καί τήν οἰκονομίαν. Εἰ γάρ ἐξ ὕψους ἔλαμψας, ἐπέφανας ἐν σκότει καί παρεγένου, εὔσπλαγχνε, ἐν κόσμῳ μετ᾿ ἀνθρώπων, (341) ἀναστραφῆναι καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς θελήσας φιλανθρώπως καί φῶς τοῦ κόσμου σευτόν ἀψευδῶς ἔφης εἶναι, ἡμεῖς δέ οὐχ ὁρῶμέν σε, οὐχί τυφλοί εἰς ἅπαν, τυφλῶν τε ἀθλιώτεροι τυγχάνομεν, Χριστέ μου; Ναί, ὄντως, ναί, ὡς ἀληθῶς καί νεκροί καί τυφλοί τε ὑπάρχομεν μή βλέποντες σέ ζωοποιόν φάος. Τόν ἥλιον τόν αἰσθητόν οἱ τυφλοί οὐχ ὁρῶσιν, ἀλλά καί ζῶσι, ∆έσποτα, καί ὁπωσοῦν κινοῦνται˙ οὐ γάρ ζωήν χαρίζεται, ἀλλά τό βλέπειν μόνον. Σύ δέ ὑπάρχων ἅπαντα τά καλά, ἀεί δίδως ταῦτα τοῖς δούλοις σου τοῖς βλέπουσι τό φῶς σου, ὡς ὤν ζωή καί τήν ζωήν παρέχεις σύν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασι, λέγω, τοῖς καλοῖς, ἅπερ αὐτός τυγχάνεις. Ὁ ἔχων σε ὡς ἀληθῶς ἔχει ἐν σοί τά πάντα. Μή στερηθῶ σου, ∆έσποτα, μή στερηθῶ σου, κτίστα, μή στερηθῶ σου, εὔσπλαγχνε, ὁ ταπεινός καί ξένος˙ ξένος γάρ, ὡς εὐδόκησας, καί πάροικος ἐνταῦθα οὐ προαιρέσει γέγονα, οὐ θελήσει μου ξένος,